The present invention is a device for viewing a panoramic photograph, or a group of individual photographs, in which the photograph or photographs are displayed on a drum-shaped surface attached to a magnetic pole-seeking compass. A person observing the photographs will see different representations as he or she faces in different compass directions.
Humans of all cultures are inveterate souvenir collectors. A large business has arisen in which photographs of scenically beautiful or historically interesting places are sold to travelers as remembrances of their visit. Very often these are provided as postcards, which can be mailed to friends or acquaintances. However, it is virtually impossible to adequately photograph a vista which encompasses a wide panorama. Even with the use of wide angle lenses, such a photograph will rarely be able to encompass a viewing angle as large as 60.degree. without significant distortion. This is considerably less than the normal field of human vision. Photographs are particularly inadequate to record a panorama which may include the full 360.degree. horizon surrounding the point of observation. To the present inventor's knowledge, the only way this has been attempted is through the use of panoramic photographs which are presented in planar form. Unfortunately, these fail to give the observer the feeling of being surrounded by the scene being viewed.
The present invention is a device which successfully overcomes the feeling of "flatness" when viewing a panoramic photograph. It has the further advantage that the observer sees the scene as it actually exists in terms of the cardinal directions or compass points. One device known to the present inventor with remote similarity is a navigational aid described in Lunetta, U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,997. This uses a series of shoreline charts on a microfiche card to enable a boater to determine his position and course. Other prior devices known to the inventor are only very remotely related. These include U.S. Pat. No. 984,929 to Kellner, which discloses a periscope system for remote observation of a compass. U.S. Pat. No. 1,619,536 to Parks et al. shows a modified compass adapted for use in an automobile, which indicates to the observer the direction in which he or she is driving. U.S. Pat. No. 2,600,644 to Hand shows an illumination system for a compass dial somewhat similar to one element of the present invention. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,949 to Goldman shows a compass having a fiber optic output system.